Private William Mysink was from New Jersey. No other bioagraphical data has been found on the web. He was on board the troopship SS Paul Hamilton enroute to the Italian theatre from the US when the ship was sunk by an aerial torpedo with all 580 souls on board killed instantly. According to eye-witness accounts, the ship must have had munitions on board as it blew up instaneously so that no bodies were recovered, except one that landed on the deck of an accompanying ship. Here is a link to an eyewitness account of the SS Paul Hamilton sinking:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3H0684L6910
This group was purchased on ebay in 2001 from a seller in New Jersey. It consists of Private Mysink's officially engraved slot brooch posthumous Purple Heart and his nicely framed Purple Heart award certificate. The medal and certificate are being left together as done by the family, as shown in the picture below. The medal was removed briefly to photograph the engraving on the back. Alos included is internet research on the Hamilton and the 485th Bomb Group.
